Recommendation on axe head weight.

Shotgun

Shotgun

Joined
Feb 3, 2006
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I'm more of a hawk and hatchet guy but I'm looking at getting my first bigger axe. I want this axe for winter camping which is primarily car camping for me but I do want the axe to be somewhat portable because I want to do short backpacking trips as well. Basic function would be to split kindling, clear downed trees, and basically have fun with. I'm thinking the pattern I want is a hudson bay style but I'm having a hard time with the weight. I'm thinking maybe something on the light side like a 1 3/4 pound so it doesn't totally weigh me down. Would this be heavy enough to do all kinds of bushcraft/survival tasks in a snowy mountainous terrain? I want that proverbial "if I only had this axe I can make it in a winter survival situation in style." What weight head(or type of axe) do you guys take camping or think is a good fit for that kind of work?
 
I think you're on the right track for size and weight on what you're looking for. The Council Tool Hudson Bay Axe with the 28" handle would be the one I would get. I heard they usually measure 26-27" though after it's hung. They sell it with and without a sheath. Obviously you would probably need the sheath model but I've heard nothing but great things about that axe and it's going to be my first Hudson Bay Axe at some point. Keep us updated on your choice whichever way you go.
 
M3mphis said:
Personally, I would consider 1 3/4 lbs to be insufficient for a "one axe" scenario that involves clearing downed trees especially in a snowy, mountainous area. I would go 2.5 or 3 lbs, but it really just depends.

This is a great thread on the one, two, and three axes scenarios. Shotgun, you've probably already seen it, but here it is: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/844996-If-only-one-axe-(or-only-two-or-only-three-axes)?highlight=one+axe
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I sure have. I was the third poster. :D It's good to read again with this new parameter I have though so thanks. When I read the thread the first time I wasn't in the market for a bigger axe. I think maybe I'll go with a 1 3/4 to 2 pounder on a 26 inch haft though. For a one axe scenario in fantasy land or for homesteading like in the other thread I think you're right in going bigger but for what I realistically need an axe for I think the smaller would work well. Even the OP of that thread says that size is the most used in his 3 axe scenario. Sigh, back to reality. And here I was picturing myself getting tossed off a dog sled in the middle of alaska with nothing but my axe and some matches.:D
 
Shotgun said:
I sure have. I was the third poster. :D It's good to read again with this new parameter I have though so thanks. When I read the thread the first time I wasn't in the market for a bigger axe. I think maybe I'll go with a 1 3/4 to 2 pounder on a 26 inch haft though. For a one axe scenario in fantasy land or for homesteading like in the other thread I think you're right in going bigger but for what I realistically need an axe for I think the smaller would work well. Even the OP of that thread says that size is the most used in his 3 axe scenario. Sigh, back to reality. And here I was picturing myself getting tossed off a dog sled in the middle of alaska with nothing but my axe and some matches.:D
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I hear ya. I only carry a small hatchet when I'm backpacking, but I don't chop down trees or anything. The hatchet gets used mostly for kindling, tent stakes, little stuff like that. When it comes to carrying a pack, each pound is very significant.
 
Axes are relatively cheap. Buy one for car camping and another for backpacking. One of those Fiskars composite-handled hatchets would be a good choice for packing.

It might surprise you how much work can be done around camp with just a sharp hatchet. They can be good little splitters, especially if you have something to beat on them with. A crude wooden mallet can be fashioned in minutes and used to drive the hatchet through larger stock. Alternately, a narrow-faced hammer like a rock hammer can follow the hatchet right down thru the wood. You'll be amazed by what you can split with this method. Of course this will mushroom the poll so I only do this with cheap throw-away Chinese hatchets. Wear it out, toss it, buy another.

A 4 lb. axe is a dream for splitting. I like a lighter axe for felling, 2-3/4 or 3 pound. It gives me better control. My small broad hatchets are my favorites for limbing.

If you have your heart set on doing it all with one axe then a 'boys axe' might fit the bill. No shame in a man using a boys axe. They're handy.
 
A boy's axe would be a good choice. Personally I have no regard for the Hudson Bay axes. I don't own one and don't care to.
 
I can attest to the handyness of a lighter head on a 26"-28" handle. I have been using a little Mann 2 1/4 pounder on a 27" off set handle for "everything" this past year. Carving, bucking 12" logs, notching trees to be felled with a crosscut, making and pounding wedges, and of course limbing ,LOTS of limbing. If I had to buck all my firewood with an axe (which is doable I might add with the right stove, sq. footage under 500 and insulation), in addition to using the axe for "everything else", I'd probably bump the weight up a quarter pound and an inch or an inch and a half to the handle length.
 
G-pig said:
......If I had to buck all my firewood with an axe (which is doable I might add with the right stove, sq. footage under 500 and insulation), in addition to using the axe for "everything else", I'd probably bump the weight up a quarter pound and an inch or an inch and a half to the handle length.
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I just bucked about 1/3 of a cord today with a 48" crosscut saw. Man, I'd hate to give that up for axe. But more power to ya if you're skilled at bucking with one. I wish I was. Tomorrow I'll go back to the chain saw. It's just fun to work with the crosscut now and again. Plus it reminds you how much you rely on your chainsaw. :)
 
I would much rather have a crosscut, believe me. a 2 1/4 pound axe, a 6 pound maul and a plain tooth crosscut and I am all set for wood cutting tools. But if I am bucking it all with an axe, im definitely going to take the time to get the right set up. Backed up cuts are way easier because the axe doesn't waste power moving log back when you strike it. Like when you are cutting a big log, the axe bites deeper and works better. same idea by backing up the smaller logs, stuff under 6" could probably be cut in under 8 strokes if you are good. I wold think a big log (16" or so) about 4 foot long and squared on on plane so it will sit without rolling, with pegs put in to hold smaller logs would work fairly well for this. You'd stand on the opposite side and buck just like you would on a big log, and the small log being cut to length would be backed up and you wouldn't be wasting energy.

I'm glad to hear of some others who use crosscuts, even if only part time. What kind of saw were you using? what kind of wood?
 
My 48 is a Disston. I also have a 36" of unknown origin. The 48 is a lancetooth. The 36 is a perforated lancetooth. I was mostly cutting alder today with a little maple mixed in.
 
I posted mine in my old crosscut thread, so as not to further derail this thread (sorry OP!).
 
Operator1975 said:
3.5 lbs on a 32 inch handle is my new favorite for all around activity.
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yep, thats about where i'm at...
3-3 1/2 lbs is just about right, with a 32" handle...
i have to say that my GB felling axe with the 32" straight handle is hard to beat...;) im trying to find a nice 32" for my 2 kelly perfects... no luck yet...
i have an unmarked 3lb jersey on a 32" haft ... its a damn good feeling axe as well...
a couple of weeks ago i bought 3 36" straight handles at a saw shop just out of town. they are TH brand... really good looking handles... im going to try an experiment with one and see if i cant cut it off and make a nice 32" handle out of it... i plan on doing that this week, so i'll post pics when i do...
 
bearhunter said:
yep, thats about where i'm at...
3-3 1/2 lbs is just about right, with a 32" handle...
i have to say that my GB felling axe with the 32" straight handle is hard to beat...;) im trying to find a nice 32" for my 2 kelly perfects... no luck yet...
i have an unmarked 3lb jersey on a 32" haft ... its a damn good feeling axe as well...
a couple of weeks ago i bought 3 36" straight handles at a saw shop just out of town. they are TH brand... really good looking handles... im going to try an experiment with one and see if i cant cut it off and make a nice 32" handle out of it... i plan on doing that this week, so i'll post pics when i do...
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That sounds like a good project. Keep us posted.

I was in the woods this past weekend, and working with a 3 to 4 lber on a 36 inch handle is great if you are out in the open, but in with the trees, brush, etc, can be hard to swing freely, so I end up messing around clearly the area just so I can swing.

The old timers that had the big long axes - mostly out west - dealing with big timber in open spaces. Early east coast woodsmen had shorter handles as seen in the Spillers, Emerson and Stevens, and even early Mann Edge products.

I know I fell into the trap of "well you arent a man if you dont swing a 36 in handle with 5 lb head." Yeah guys do that - its called splitting, not felling. I like my 4 lber on curved handle and my 3.5 on straight 36 in, just sometimes that is just too big in the woods.

Live and learn.
 
Shotgun, I just posted this in another thread, but this might be what you're looking for. Right now I'm reviewing the Fiskars X15 23.5" Chopping Axe and the performance is amazing for a cheap axe. It outchopped my beloved 2.25lb Wetterlings Made Husqvarna Multi-Purpose Axe, outsplit it and even makes great feather sticks. $30 shipped on Amazon. Once you sharpen these a couple of times the harder steel gets exposed and it will hold an edge for a long time.

Me and a bushcrafting friend took the X15 up in the mountains 3 times, using it for everything from chopping fatwood stumps, making kindling, felling, bucking and even feather sticks. An axe this cheap is not supposed to work this well, but it did. The head weight is 2.31lbs, so not too heavy, but heavy enough to blast through wood for its size. It also feels nimble for it's weight. My buddy ended up buying one, and he already has the new Gerber II 17.5" Axe (likes the bigger X15 better). For a lot more money, the Best Made 26" made by Council Tool is also a peach for a production axe, though mine did need profile work.

Cheers, CW
 
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coloradowildman said:
Shotgun, I just posted this in another thread, but this might be what you're looking for. Right now I'm reviewing the Fiskars X15 23.5" Chopping Axe and the performance is amazing for a cheap axe. It outchopped my beloved 2.25lb Wetterlings Made Husqvarna Multi-Purpose Axe, outsplit it and even makes great feather sticks. $30 shipped on Amazon. Once you sharpen these a couple of times the harder steel gets exposed and it will hold an edge for a long time.

Me and a bushcrafting friend took the X15 up in the mountains 3 times, using it for everything from chopping fatwood stumps, making kindling, felling, bucking and even feather sticks. An axe this cheap is not supposed to work this well, but it did. The head weight is 2.31lbs, so not too heavy, but heavy enough to blast through wood for its size. It also feels nimble for it's weight. My buddy ended up buying one, and he already has the new Gerber II 17.5" Axe (likes the bigger X15 better). For a lot more money, the Best Made 26" made by Council Tool is also a peach for a production axe, though mine did need profile work.

Cheers, CW
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I'm going to have to buy an X15 and try it out. They must have improved a lot, or be a lot better than the gerbers. My gerber came about as sharp as a piece of 1/4" angle iron.
 
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